Is It Too Soon?

Just shy of a month after Michael Jackson’s death AEG is close to making a deal with Sony to sell them the 80 hours of rehearsal footage from the Staples Center. They are reportedly spending $60 million on the footage and hoping to release it on October 30th.

According to Variety, Kenny Ortega, the director of “High School Musical” shot the footage and will be cutting it into a feature length film that will include “at least three” videos.  These videos include an alternate version of “Thriller” that was to be used during his London shows.

AEG is selling this footage to help recoup the $85 million dollars that they lost in ticket refunds for the London show.  Variety reported that the family will receive 90% of the profits for the film once AEG has recouped their costs.  Besides just paying back AEG why don’t they help to pay back the city of Los Angeles who paid for the bulk of Michael’s memorial service, an estimated $1.4 million.

So that is the news, but the question still stands, “Is it too soon?”  There are millions of fans that would love to see the footage.  They probably feel that it would help them feel closer to Michael and to pay their last respects yet again.  I on the other hand feel that yes it will be a good movie, yes it will make a lot of money and that it is too soon after his death for something like this.  Why?  I strongly feel that the Jackson Family and AEG need to stop trying to profit from the death of someone famous.

Let him rest in peace and figure out where he is to be buried before you do anything else.